Ask NerdGirl: Be an Active Part of AndroidTapp! Nexus One to 2.2, Sprint is Failing, fring vs. Skype, G1’s are Old Men Now, and Voice SMS!

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Hi Gorgeous!

I have a Nexus One. In fact, I bought it 10 minutes after the Google site opened and I have loved it since!!! However…

a) Patiently awaiting an upgrade to FRF83…which I somehow don’t think is going to happen – call it a hunch !

b) Currently have FRF50 running but cannot go back to basics as I am not rooted

c) Cannot get FRF83 to download from any site – simply says download failed

d) With T-Mobile UK, although my phone is SIM free, and the FRF83 is OTA so this should not make a difference

HELP !!!!

Ken McKean

There are several different updates to FRF83 rolling out because of the different versions that current phones are using. As long as you have a connection able to make cell phone calls you should get the OTA update. When you do get it you will get a notification on your screen. I do have confirmation that they are actually sending it out.

The Chief Editor’s 2 Cents: This is interesting… I have FRF91 on my Nexus One rolled out from an OTA update a few weeks back. Also I saw on our buddies over at AndroidGuys.com this article that has direct links from Google of updates from FRF50 to FRF91 and FRF83 to FRF91 that can be manually updated.

I just recently got my very first Android phone which happens to be an EVO. The very first day that I got it I made a call and the phone shut off completely. A few days later I went to return a call on speaker and the screen went black and neither I nor the person on the other line could hear anything. I know the call went through but it was non-functional. I had perfect reception both times.

Is this a known problem with Android or EVO phones?

Thanks for your time,

Cindy

I have a friend on Sprint who is using a Samsung Moment. He has the same problems that you are describing. I thought it was his phone and now, hearing about you, I don’t believe it is.

I just spent about an hour looking around at different Android and Sprint forums and I’m finding out it’s not an isolated incident. Sprint seems to be having a ton of issues with their signals for Android phones specifically. This looks to be an issue that needs to be brought up with Sprint big time!

I just got my HTC EVO this week and it is everything that I hoped. I have been using Fring with my friends who have webcams and it has worked fabulously, when it works. Two questions:

1. Does my computer have to be logged into Skype for me to use Fring on the phone?

2. Sometimes when I am getting a video call three things happen: computer rings and not the phone, phone rings and not the computer, Fring intermittently goes offline with the red X on the Fring banner.

I realize that this just might be an issue with the network and that Fring is constantly updating their software…I was just wondering if there is a setting in Skype that can automatically route calls to Fring (until Skype releases a general app that is not with Verizon exclusively) ?

Finally, I cannot bring myself to calling you “nerdgirl” until I clarify that being a nerd is cool!

Thanks a million!

David Seaton

Being a nerd is the best part of being me! The fact that I know enough about technology that friends, family, clients, and all of you trust me to answer your questions makes me happier than you could ever know. I have been called a nerd since I was a little girl and I have never seen it as something negative. I’m proud of being a nerd and I intend to represent all of nerd-dom to the best of my abilities for as long as I can! Never feel bad about calling me n3rdg1rl! It’s who I am!

Now, since you have written this question, there has been quite the debacle with Skype and fring. Fring offered cross-platform video-calling using Skype, and other VoIP services. It was the only alternative for iPhone offers to the Wi-Fi software that is built into their phones. When Fring for iOS4 launched the service got so overloaded that Skype was disabled on fring. This leaves no Skype support to non-Verizon customers.

Now fring is saying that it’s expanded it’s capacity so it can turn Skype back now. However, fring is saying that Skype won’t let it do so.

This is where the issue got a little out of hand. Avi Schechter, fring’s CEO, said that Skype was behaving “cowardly” and said it’s “afraid of open mobile communication.” Robert Miller, Skype’s Vice President of Legal, said that fring was using it’s software in breach of its Terms of Use and End User License Agreements. So who turned off who?

I just want them to kiss and make up so we can get back to using Skype regardless of our network provider.

I currently have a rooted G1 running Cyanogen’s 2.1. It is now time for me to upgrade my phone…or is it?

I normally get bored of a phone with 6 months but this time has been different. What with my phone being constantly upgraded to a newer ROM and the user experiencing changing I have not felt that need.

However, I’ve also just found out that 2.2, a.k.a. Gingerbread, will not run on now low end devices.

So should i upgrade or not, or will modders like Cyanogen be able to make gingerbread work on a G1?

Hope you can help,

Jman

There are G1’s running on rooted versions of 2.2. However, having an Eris myself, I know what can happen with putting a higher software version on a lower end device.

This is how I look at it, probably because I am a computer nerd at heart. Say you have a computer you bought in 1998 running a completely clean version of Windows 98. It runs it smoothly. It gets the job done. You even have Office 2000 running nicely on it. Now, Microsoft launches this new operating system, Windows XP. You decide it’s time to upgrade. You load XP on your now 3 year old computer. It runs nicely. You love the new features. Then, three months later, it slows down. Badly. It takes 5 minutes to load sometimes. But you just hang on. Four years later, Microsoft let’s you know that everything is going to be okay. Vista is here! So you load Vista and your computer literally falls over, sputters, and dies. It couldn’t take it.

Your phone is now nearly two years old. It might be getting close to it time to put it out to pasture. Take a look at your new options with T-Mobile with Android phones already running, and built to run, Froyo: